Our Favourite Self-Help Books To Change Your Life In 2023

Why are we obsessed with happiness? And what are the powers of a melancholic outlook? Bittersweet claims it's only when we embrace our darker emotions that we can discover our deepest meaning and connection: love and joy. Time to get angsty.

Sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski are here to help end the cycle of overwhelm and exhaustion and confront the obstacles that stand between women and wellbeing.

In The Light We Carry, the former First Lady shares her practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today's highly uncertain world. With her trademark humour, candour, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.

Filled with secrets from a therapist's toolkit, this is a must-have handbook for optimising your mental health. Dr Julie's simple but expert advice and powerful coping techniques will help you stay resilient no matter what life throws your way!

Like your slightly sweary best friend, Kate Codrington guides you through managing physical challenges with lifestyle changes during menopause and understanding what might be causing them.

In (Dis)connected, Emma Gannon argues that after years of lockdowns and Zoom meetings, our focus on community and connection has been thrown off-kilter as she offers tangible tips and advice for those of us feeling a bit lost.

Bestselling psychotherapist, Julia Samuel, dives into eight family case studies and analyses a range of common issues including separation, step-relationships, leaving home, trauma and loss, to reveal how deeply we are influenced by our relatives and how we can face challenges together.

The host of the brilliant Feel Better Live More podcast brings his warm, sensible attitude and quietly revelatory advice to the thorny area of weight loss.

Rebuild your self-esteem with this simple, practical guide to beating anxiety and being brave, from the host of The Calmer You Podcast.

A reassuringly relatable read from Annie Ridout, for any of us who have ever felt lacking in confidence, and a practical and galvanising guide to helping you harness the power of shyness, particularly in an increasingly digital world.

Shahroo Izadi brings her professional experience of working in addiction, and her personal experience of struggling with her own weight and body image, together in this groundbreaking book.

The inspirational powerhouse that is Adrienne Herbert shows you how to change your life, in just one hour a day.

Journalist, author and founder of Mental Health Mates, Bryony Gordon, brings her familiar voice to this practical book, featuring all the tools she has learned to use along her mental health journey.

This bravely personal book may tell Fearne's own story of finding her voice, but it will be relatable to anyone who has ever kept quiet in order to please others – and will encourage you to speak out in your own unique, authentic way.

TV presenter, radio broadcaster, actress, filmmaker and now author – is there anything Laura Whitmore can't do? This inspiring book is part memoir and part manifesto for finding success through optimism and self-belief.

With a foreword by Gillian Anderson, this empowering read from the co-founder of Women For Women International is all about finding your meaning, owning your power and transforming your world.

Work situation changed since 2020? Whether you're struggling with wfh, coping with the fallout from redundancy or simply reassessing your values and looking for a career change, this is the book for you.

Be happier, healthier and more productive with Rosamund Dean's simple strategy to drink less and enjoy life more.

Amika George was just a teenager when she launched a global campaign against period poverty from her bedroom. In this inspiring read, she talks to Caroline Criado-Perez, Deborah Frances-White, Adwoa Aboah and Scarlett Curtis about activism.

A new edition of the classic confidence builder from legendary feminist activist, Gloria Steinem.

Gabrielle Bernstein makes miracles happen, but don't just take our word for it. 'A brilliant book that helped me out during lockdown,' says Fearne Cotton. 'Oh my god, it's game-changing!'

Anya is a mother of five, stepmother and successful businesswoman. Through her words, she shares everything she has learnt in her colourful life. From practical tips and quick fixes to profound observations about confidence and creativity. This handbook will show you how to live a little better - and yes sometimes simply washing your hair is the answer.

The former Love Island Star and A&E doctor reflects on his experiences - from working on the wards during the pandemic to living in the spotlight to inform readers on mental health. This self-help book empowers readers through advice on how people can power through tough moments and remain mentally strong.

This journal allows you to have the power and create your own self-help guide. With plenty of lined pages and thoughtful writing prompts, this journal will enable you to become more clear in your thinking, and reduce stress and anxiety. This is ideal for anyone who wants to make personal growth a simple and successful daily habit.

No Worries is a 12-week anxiety and self-care journal that will help you structure everything that is on your mind. This will help you thoughtfully manage your worries before they spiral out of control.

How To Declutter Your Mind teaches readers specific mindfulness techniques and habits, to create more "space" in your mind to enjoy peace and happiness. You will take away exercises that will have an immediate and lasting effect on your mental health and mindset.

Clinical Psychologist, Dr Nicole LePera offers an essential guide to self-healing and creating a more joyful life. Drawing from both scientific research and healing modalities, Dr. LePera helps readers overcome trauma and destructive behaviours to reclaim their lives.

In a fast-moving world, The Things You Can Only See When You Slow Down provides relief. In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk dives into dealing with rest and relations and handling setbacks. A mixture of his teachings and calming illustrations reminds us of the strength that comes from slowing down.

The instant best-seller is a collection of consolations learned in hard times and suggestions for making the bad days better. This is a book for when we need a friend, a listening ear or just a reminder of hope.

How To Heal A Broken Heart gives a refreshingly honest take on heartbreak. When Rosie Green's husband leaves her after 26 years together, she never thought she would get over it. But she did - and so can you. This bold, witty and insightful handbook dives into how you can heal faster, understand yourself better and move on.

Yoke is about finding acceptance within yourself both on and off the Yoga mat. Jessamyn Stanley calls on a larger idea of the yoga of everyday life. In a series of deeply honest, funny autobiographical essays, Jessamyn explores everything from imposter syndrome to loving yourself, all through the lens of yoke.

A guide to help readers build new habits that improve their lives for the better and allow them to thrive. Time to Thrive suggests exercises based on microsteps - tiny, science-backed changes. By making them too-small-to-fail, we can incorporate them into our daily lives right away, and begin building healthier ways of living and working.

Luvvie is a Nigerian author, speaker and digital strategist. This New York Times best-seller is about how to live boldly in spite of all the reasons we have to cower. Prepare for humour, perpetual truth-telling and warmth as Luvvie walks us through what we must get right within ourselves before we can do the things that scare us.

Set Boundaries, Find Peace presents simple yet powerful ways to establish healthy boundaries in all aspects of life. Drawing on the latest research in Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques - this guide helps us to search for the root of problems within codependency, power struggles, anxiety, depression and burnout.

In the last decade, there has been a particular emphasis on working 24/7 while simultaneously being told we should relax and take care of ourselves. In today's complex working world, this can be hard to differentiate. In Working Hard, Hardly Working, entrepreneur and self-proclaimed 'lazy workaholic', Grace Beverley, challenges this unrealistic and unnecessary split and offers a fresh take on how to create your own balance, be more productive and feel fulfilled.

Psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora challenges the conventional view of anxiety as a mental disorder, suggesting instead that much of what we call anxiety begins in the body. Rather than our troubled thoughts creating physical symptoms, she argues that many types of anxiety are the result of states of imbalance in our bodies, whether blood sugar crashes, caffeine highs or sleep deprivation.

A popular concept in Japan, Nagomi exemplifies a state of being where good and bad things live in balance with each other. Neuroscientist and bestselling writer Ken Mogi examines the philosophy of Nagomi and how seeking to balance both happiness and sadness – instead of simply seeking the former – will help us achieve a sense of harmony, productivity and satisfaction in our lives both in the short and long-term.